A number of years ago I walked the final stretch of five days of the Camino in Spain. It was during the last day of the walk on the outskirts of the goal of Santiago with about four hours to go that I met a young Orthodox Jewish lady named Ruth. We quickly got into…
Tthis week in 1988 I began my studies for the priesthood. My mother bought me a crucifix for my room as a going-away present. I didn’t realise then how much I would come to depend on it for solace in some tough days to follow. The best mental health advice I ever heard was from…
The figure of St Joseph and St John are included alongside the Immaculate Virgin Mary in the apparition at Knock. In the 1879 vision all three wore luminous, white garments which indicate their transfigurations, and their personal, undefined chastity. They are among those dressed in white before the Lamb of God: the many whose robes,…
The Knock apparition is a jigsaw puzzle of sorts. In this and subsequent articles I will attempt to assemble the puzzle of the Knock apparition that will yet remain a mystery to us this side of heaven. I have identified eleven elements that I think make up the apparition as whole. These will each be…
“I want to give you something to remember me by.” When two friends or companions separate, words are spoken and perhaps small phrases are exchanged, or even a gift– something to keep in each other’s memory– a little memento perhaps to be worn or to be kept nearby. My younger sister proudly now wears our…